Promoting Early Literacy for a Better America

It probably comes as no surprise to hear that there is a literacy crisis in the United States. Maybe you’ve read it in articles, heard it at a conference on education, or even have your own students struggling to learn the English language. But what does that really mean? How many people are affected?

If you do a quick search, the resulting statistics are overwhelming. Here are just a few of the shocking numbers I came across during my *research:

32 million U.S. adults cannot read

21% of adults read below a 5th grade level

19% of high school graduates cannot read

Over 3 million students drop out of high school every year

75% of US crimes are committed by a high school dropout

17.6% of dropouts are Hispanic, 9.6% are African American, 5.2% are White, and 2.1% are Asian American

Illiteracy is linked to everything from poverty, unemployment, and crime to gaps between majority and minority students, gaps in college-enrollment, and the well-being and success of our entire society! We are all affected.

So how do we prevent it? We can start by teaching young children to speak, read, and write Standard English before they become one of these staggering statistics.

Independent studies have proven GrapeSEED has a powerful impact on academic results and literacy growth in young children. GrapeSEED helps schools narrow the achievement gaps between majority and minority populations, as well as decrease the dropout rate.

Contact us to learn more about GrapeSEED and how it can help your students.